Pusan East (K-9) Air Base was a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF) and

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

(ROKAF) air base adjacent to the Suyeong River in

Haeundae District Haeundae District ( ko, 해운대구) is a district ( ''gu'') of Busan, South Korea. Haeundae has a population of about 423,000, the most populous district of Busan with 11.6% of the city population, and covers an area of 51.44 km² (19.8 ...

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. It was redeveloped in the 1990s as

Centum City Centum City () is a major multi-project urban development part of Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea. It is also one of CBDs in Busan Metropolitan City. This site is at the westernmost area of Haeundae-gu in U-1-dong, Jae-song-dong. The site was orig ...

, a commercial and residential area.

History

Korean War

By the end of July 1950, UN forces had been pushed back into the

Pusan Perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter ( ko, 부산 교두보 전투) was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the ...

, which contained three airfields all in poor condition. Engineers urgently improved the former Japanese military airfield at K-9 to allow heavy transport aircraft such as C-54s to land there. On 8 September 1950 the

18th Fighter Wing 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

arrived at K-9 from

Ashiya Air Field is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a ...

before moving to Pyongyang East Air Base (K-24) in November 1950. On 5 March 1951 a USAF C-54 #42-72663 was damaged beyond repair at K-9. On 23 May 1951 the 452d Bombardment Wing operating the

Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...

was deployed to K-9. On 10 May 1952 the

17th Bombardment Wing 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 (number), 16 and preceding 18 (number), 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the ...

was activated at K-9 to replace the 452d.

Post Korean War

K-9 was transferred to the South Korean military in 1956 and remained in use until the early 1990s. Busan Suyeong Airport opened in August 1958 and renamed as Busan International Airport in September 1963. In August 1976 the airport was moved to its current location in

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in Gim ...

. In the late 1990s the area was redeveloped as

References

External links

Photos and video taken on and around K-9 in 1952

{{authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in South Korea Korean War air bases

History

Korean War

Post Korean War

See also

References

External links